Seven female nurses at Darlington Memorial Hospital have won an employment tribunal case against County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, after complaining about a trans woman colleague using the women's changing rooms. The judge ruled that the trust violated the nurses' dignity and created a hostile, intimidating, humiliating and degrading environment.
The nurses objected to Rose Henderson, a trans woman and operating theatre practitioner, being allowed to use the female changing facilities. The trust did not provide suitable alternative facilities and dismissed their concerns, with management suggesting they needed education on trans rights and to broaden their mindsets.
Judge Sweeney found that the trust subjected the nurses to harassment related to sex and gender reassignment. The tribunal dismissed complaints about Henderson's conduct, stating she did not behave improperly, but acknowledged the nurses' genuine fears for their dignity, bodily integrity and privacy.
Lead claimant Bethany Hutchison, backed by the Christian Legal Centre, called the ruling a 'victory for common sense'. She said: 'Requiring women to undress in front of men is not equality, it is a violation of our dignity.' The nurses expressed compassion for Henderson, blaming the trust for putting her in that situation.
Claimant Lisa Lockey said women had been silenced and gaslighted by the trust. She urged all NHS trusts to review their policies to ensure safe spaces for women. Andrea Williams of the Christian Legal Centre said the ruling made clear that 'biological men are men, women are women'.
